BHK parent council approves cuts

Staff, programs to be cut today

November 9, 2012

HOUGHTON - The BHK Parent Council approved the Copper Country Intermediate School District's management team's plan of action regarding the $1.2 million deficit. Twelve staff positions will be cut today as part of the phase one program. CCISD Superintendent Dennis Harbour said he anticipates more cuts in the phase two portion.

"It's inevitable," Harbour said.

At the meeting, BHK Executive Director Pat Rozich gave a rundown to the parent council regarding the financial situation and the recommendations for keeping BHK afloat.

Article Photos

Scott Viau/Daily Mining GazetteBHK Executive Director Pat Rozich addresses the Parent Council Thursday, at BHK in Houghton regarding the cuts needed to keep the agency afloat. The council approved the cuts which resulted in 12 layoffs today.

"Some of the programs just had to go," Rozich said.

He also explained the recommendation of selling unused property and buildings.

"Some of the property will give us revenue, significant amounts of revenue if we can manage sales that are reflective of the value of the property," Rozich said.

Rozich said they are also looking at why some facilities are used when there are other facilities that would be able to be used.

"We're looking to make ourselves more efficient," Rozich said.

Other recommendations that Rozich went over were the cuts to administrative personnel and those funded by grant revenue.

An area of concern before was that BHK may be out of complaince regarding the cuts reported in the Oct. 22 edition of The Daily Mining Gazette, but Early Head Start and Head Start Director Cheryl Mills said that they were not out of compliance.

"We had resignations before the layoffs and they're key required positions within the Head Start infrastructure, like Education Coordination, Family Service Coordination, Health Coordination. Those are people who oversee the day-to-day operations and those are vacant because of resignation and to become compliant we have to build that infrastructure back," Mills said. "That's where we're at right now - posting internally and trying to do some shifts by using the people we have internally that are qualified for those positions."

According to Mills, if they were to be in a state of noncompliance, the regional office in Chicago would notify the board, which would then have 30 days to fix it.

The next parent council meeting will take place at BHK at 6 p.m. Dec. 20.